From the road, this establishment looks underwhelming. Do not be fooled. This is a story of…read morediscovery (by us), tolerance (by them), and of very good cheer (from everyone).
Upon arrival, we were seated in the lounge area, where we had drinks and browsed the menu. These food-choosing pre-table situations can often feel like a sort of endless, hunger-prolonging purgatory, but here it was actually very pleasant. The lounge was cosy and traditional, and we were there just long enough to greet each other, drink a glass of champagne and have our orders taken.
The menu was fabulous. It is the sort of menu dreaded by people who find it difficult to make a decision, because it is simply impossible to narrow down the choices by rejecting the ones that sound minging. I wanted everything on this menu. Inevitably, the moment arose where it was my turn to order and I still had no idea which of God's creatures I wanted to eat, let alone which of the many lovely-sounding forms on offer I wanted it presented to me in. This could have been painfully awkward for everyone, but our delightful host, Scott, waited patiently until I had decided, through a quite irrational process of elimination (although aided by some helpful description), that I was going to have the blue cheese crème brulee followed by the East Neuk fisherman's pie. And a sticky toffee pudding.
Our group was then led to a private dining room in an enchanting old converted barn, complete with beams and a roaring log fire. Family gatherings can become uproarious, and this arrangement was welcomed by all, saving the more conservative members of the party from being publically humiliated by any loudly uttered innuendo or other inappropriate comment that may be voiced, particularly by the older generation.
They also provided the birthday girl (from said older generation) with a card, which was a lovely touch.
I found all three of the dishes I selected to be quite exquisite, which also seemed to be the general consensus around the table. As well as being indecisive, I am a slow eater, but, despite the fact that Scott and his lovely waitress had to come and go about twelve times after each course before I had caught up with the rest of the table and they could take away my plate, they remained cheerful and attentive.
The staff really were marvellous. They managed to deliver each desert to the correct recipient even after most of our large group had decided to all change seats for the third time. They also were not fazed by having to continuously leap out the way to avoid getting in any of the three hundred group photos/food snaps/selfies that were taken during the course of our visit. Nor did they mind when we discovered that the curtain ties made marvellous turbans. A discovery which led to more selfies.
Unfortunately, I only have photos of the deserts, because up until then I was concentrating mostly on consuming a lot of the fabulous wine that was on offer, but rest assured the starters and main courses were equally well presented. I had not thought it possible that generous portions of traditional Scottish food could be presented with such finesse, but here they managed it, and it was wonderful.
We had our coffee and a surprise Valente in the lounge area, where, having moved all of the furniture into an arrangement of our choice, we sang Happy Birthday and ate the cake we'd brought with us. So idyllic was it, that, if we had not had to rush to the airport, we might still be there now.
The moral of this story is, then, that you should take chances when choosing a luncheon spot. When driving past do not be fooled by the unassuming exterior, because inside is a charming wee restaurant with excellent food and delightful staff.
